Kananaskis Country

Peter Lougheed Provincial Park
Highway 40 in the Kananaskis Valley, Alberta

Kananaskis Country is a park system situated to the west of Calgary, Alberta, Canada in the foothills and front ranges of the Canadian Rockies. Kananaskis Country can be accessed by three highways that run into or through the area: Highway 40, a 66 km (41 mi) segment of the Bighorn Highway and also known as Kananaskis Trail; Highway 66, a 28 km (17 mi) highway originating near Bragg Creek known as Elbow Falls Trail; and Highway 68, a 42 km (26 mi) gravel highway originating from the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1) known as Sibbald Creek Trail.

An ecological and environmental research station of the University of Calgary is located nearby, at Barrier Lake. A "Tim Horton Children's Foundation" summer camp is also located in the area. Easter Seals Camp Horizon is also located within Kananaskis along Highway 66.

The area is named for the Kananaskis River, which was named by John Palliser in 1858 after a Cree acquaintance.[1]

Recreation and tourism

Cross-country skiing in Kananaskis

Kananaskis Country is noted for recreation and tourism. Recreation facilities in Kananaskis include several campgrounds, a golf course, a hotel, a holiday ranch, two alpine ski areas (Nakiska, which hosted alpine skiing and freestyle moguls skiing during the 1988 Winter Olympics and Fortress Mountain Resort and a competitive cross-country ski area (the Canmore Nordic Centre) that the public can use. The Canmore Nordic Centre was the venue for cross-country skiing events during the 1988 Winter Olympics. Most of the development is within Peter Lougheed Provincial Park and along the highway 40 corridor that parallels the Kananaskis River. Kananaskis has many kilometres of hiking, cross-country ski, and horse trails. Other activities popular in Kananaskis include mountain biking, scrambling, climbing, backpacking, hunting, and fishing.

Parks

Several parks and campgrounds and one ecological reserve are located within Kananaskis. These include:

Extent and locations of parks in Kananaskis Country

Special areas within Kananaskis Country that are not formally designated as parks or ecological reserves include the Bow Corridor Area, the Elbow River Valley Area, Evan-Thomas Provincial Recreation Area, the Highwood/Cataract Areas, Sentinel Provincial Recreation Area, Stoney Creek Provincial Recreation Area, Strawberry Provincial Recreation Area and the Sibbald Area (Sibbald Lake Provincial Recreation Area, Sibbald Meadows Pond Provincial Recreation Area).

Administration

On a provincial level, Kananaskis Country has been administered since 1945 as Improvement District No. 5 (Kananaskis).[2] It was established by the Municipal Affairs branch of the Alberta Government for multiple uses including timber harvesting, gas and oil extraction, cattle grazing, recreation and tourism. All activities are planned and facilities are developed with watershed protection as a priority.

Not all areas of Kananaskis Country are covered by the same measure of protection. Areas within Kananaskis Country include Provincial Parks, Provincial Recreation Areas, Wildland Provincial Parks, and Ecological Reserves. All of the aforementioned categories are governed by differing laws.

A management plan approved in March 2003 by the Kananaskis Country restricts further development in the Spray Valley Provincial Park area, in order to preserve the ecological integrity. Restrictions were imposed on off-road vehicles, snowmobiles, horseback riding and biking, however a site in the Spray Valley is considered for the construction of a small lodge.[3][4]

28th G8 Summit in Canada

Main article: 28th G8 summit

On June 26 and June 27, 2002, the area hosted the 28th G8 Summit. This annual "Group of 8" Summit was held in Kananaskis Village at the Kananaskis Resort (also called the "Delta Lodge at Kananaskis").[5] This was the second time Canada used a lodge venue for the G8 Summit, after its inaugural 7th G7 Summit at Montebello, Quebec in 1981.[6] So far, it is the only G8 Summit to be held in western Canada. The 2002 conference pumped some $300-million into the Kananaskis and Alberta economy; however, security cost taxpayers in excess of $200-million. [7]

Climate

Kananaskis experiences a subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification Dfc).

Climate data for Kananaskis
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 19
(66)		 18
(64)		 19
(66)		 26.1
(79)		 29.5
(85.1)		 31.1
(88)		 33.9
(93)		 33.3
(91.9)		 31
(88)		 27.2
(81)		 19.5
(67.1)		 16.1
(61)		 33.9
(93)
Average high °C (°F) −1.8
(28.8)		 0.7
(33.3)		 4.2
(39.6)		 9.4
(48.9)		 14.1
(57.4)		 18.2
(64.8)		 21.5
(70.7)		 21.1
(70)		 16.5
(61.7)		 10.8
(51.4)		 2.5
(36.5)		 −1.4
(29.5)		 9.6
(49.3)
Daily mean °C (°F) −7.5
(18.5)		 −5.1
(22.8)		 −1.7
(28.9)		 3.1
(37.6)		 7.6
(45.7)		 11.4
(52.5)		 14.1
(57.4)		 13.6
(56.5)		 9.4
(48.9)		 4.8
(40.6)		 −2.5
(27.5)		 −6.7
(19.9)		 3.4
(38.1)
Average low °C (°F) −13.2
(8.2)		 −10.9
(12.4)		 −7.7
(18.1)		 −3.2
(26.2)		 1
(34)		 4.5
(40.1)		 6.6
(43.9)		 6.1
(43)		 2.3
(36.1)		 −1.2
(29.8)		 −7.6
(18.3)		 −11.9
(10.6)		 −2.9
(26.8)
Record low °C (°F) −45.6
(−50.1)		 −43.5
(−46.3)		 −40.6
(−41.1)		 −31.1
(−24)		 −21.7
(−7.1)		 −8.3
(17.1)		 −2.5
(27.5)		 −4
(25)		 −14
(7)		 −29
(−20)		 −37
(−35)		 −42.2
(−44)		 −45.6
(−50.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 28.6
(1.126)		 26.6
(1.047)		 46.5
(1.831)		 52.6
(2.071)		 91.6
(3.606)		 89.7
(3.531)		 68.9
(2.713)		 72.7
(2.862)		 67.4
(2.654)		 36
(1.42)		 28.4
(1.118)		 29
(1.14)		 637.8
(25.11)
Source: Environment Canada[8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Rayburn, Alan (2001). Naming Canada. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. p. 254. ISBN 0-8020-6990-8.
  2. ↑ Kananaskis Improvement District - Alberta Municipal Affairs Archived October 5, 2006, at the Wayback Machine.
  3. ↑ FFWD article (August 2003). Kananaskis Country management plan pleases greens, irks others. Retrieved March 11, 2007
  4. ↑ Alberta Tourism, Parks, Recreation and Culture (2006). Management plans for the Kananaskis Area. Retrieved March 11, 2007
  5. ↑ Delta Hotels: Kananaskis Resort
  6. ↑ A Summit of Substantial Success: The Performance of the 2008 G8 p. 84
  7. ↑ Andreatta, David. "Brace yourself, Huntsville. The G8 is coming," Globe and Mail (Toronto). July 12, 2008.
  8. ↑ Environment Canada—Canadian Climate Normals 1971–2000, accessed 23 March 2010

Coordinates: 50°54′N 114°54′W / 50.9°N 114.9°W / 50.9; -114.9

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